Benjamin Morrison Is the Young Corner Minnesota Needs

One of the Minnesota Vikings’ priorities this offseason will be retooling a cornerback room that has lacked consistent high-end play for nearly half a decade. Pro Bowler Byron Murphy Jr. is returning on a multi-year deal, and Mekhi Blackmon is prepping for a return from an ACL tear suffered in the preseason, but they need more help.

Minnesota could look to attack the position in the draft, with multiple prospects like Colorado’s Travis Hunter, Michigan’s Will Johnson, Texas’ Jahdae Barron, Notre Dame’s Benjamin Morrison, and East Carolina’s Shavon Revel all hailed as potential first-round selections.

The Vikings have the 24th pick and may trade down to maximize draft value, so Hunter, Johnson, and even Barron may be gone by the time Minnesota is on the clock. Still, of the remaining options, Morrison is incredibly enticing.

Morrison is a 20-year-old cornerback prospect from Phoenix. His father, Daryl Morrison, played safety in the NFL for Washington from 1993 to 1996. Morrison was hailed as a likely top-15 selection before he suffered a hip injury that sidelined him for most of last season.

Notre Dame primarily used Morrison on the boundary, accruing 540 snaps at corner in 2023 and 272 in 2024. Notre Dame went to the national championship, and Morrison was a crucial part of their defense throughout the first seven weeks. PFF gave him an 84.6 coverage grade in his last full campaign.

Allowing less than one yard per coverage snap and a sub-50 passer rating over his career, Morrison has the stats to validate a selection. However, his medicals have depressed his stock. The tape shows high-level cornerback play, which he displays against NFL-caliber receivers.

Morrison has an incredibly smooth backpedal, quick feet, and patient movement. He works through traffic with aplomb, displaying strong peripheral awareness against mesh and rub concepts. Morrison also displayed excellent long speed, which he highlighted when covering Penn State’s Julian Fleming, who can run a 4.3.

Morrison is consistently shoulder-to-shoulder/or draped in trail against vertical threat receivers. He has the body type Brian Flores has targeted, measuring 6’0”, 190 lbs.

Morrison is also an incredible playmaker. He’s run back multiple interceptions for touchdowns, displaying shiftiness and agility on returns and his excellent long speed.

His play is cerebral, with excellent diagnosis and response. Morrison can wrap up in one-on-ones in space when moving horizontally. He is a smooth athlete with excellent ball-timing skills and a strong vertical leap. He also displays precocious poise and good awareness, especially when playing receivers within the red zone.

However, Morrison is still a work in progress. He can get washed out in the run game and little-brothered after the catch. Morrison also displays a quick downhill trigger but too frequently misses tackles trying to launch into the ball carrier. He struggles against big-bodied pass-catchers in contested situations. He can also get too vertical and lose leverage in press situations, and strong hand-fighters can push him off their route.

Morrison has been cleared and will show his talent at a private showcase for NFL evaluators, giving him another opportunity to promote his talent and physical ability.

Depending on NFL teams’ comfortability with his medical evaluations, he could be available at the end of the first to the mid-second round. Morrison would immediately inject the cornerback room with youth and athleticism, providing another versatile corner for Flores’ mix-and-match schemes.

Morrison could provide the answer that the Minnesota Vikings are searching for as a prospect who provides value on the board and immediate impact at a position of need. Given his medicals raise no further concerns, Morrison could provide high-level play at corner that the team has severely lacked and bring a true CB1 to Minnesota for the first time since Xavier Rhodes.